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In recent years there has been little competition between Felixstowe and ABP, even with nearby Ipswich.
Felixstowe has concentrated on box handling on an ever increasing scale, whereas ABP ports have handled a wide variety of cargoes mostly for regional clienteles. The obvious exception is ABP's Southampton which does offer Felixstowe some limited competition for deep sea containers.
Felixstowe now has little room to expand and other port investors are sensing an opportunity to expand into the market, either by green field (should that be green sea?) development or by buying in or expanding existing operations.
The activity comes as no surprise to anyone owning a maritime web information site. Increasing volumes of hits from the Far East are easily spotted, as are the subjects of interest, the search terms and often even the identity of the readers.
Identifiable British companies working unnaturally long into the night and early in the morning collecting data are another sure sign of finance seeking an investment or an existing management digging ditches.
E-mails and telephone calls arrive from researchers, and consultants follow seeking more information.
Then bingo an offer is on the table. The defence team moves up into gear plundering the .net for counterattack material.
...and who said the Internet wouldn't change the face of shipping? Once, we all watched the next luncheon table to guess what deals were in the offing; now we just monitor the hit counters.
Felixstowe grew on the decline of Britain's other ports into a position of near-monopoly during a time when only the bravest would invest in ports. Today, the scene has changed and international money is on its way back into the industry as a secure investment.
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